A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8488440 Details
Epoch: 398 Number of transactions in block: 18 slot_no: 86660867 epoch_slot_no: 88067 block_no: 8488263 slot_leader_id: 6999500 size: 80265 time: 2023-03-07 22:12:38 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \x16b3d050e74e7a1ec9c39130476f548589f8c380519977bbe8e4a945f5b7319cBlock Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk1z0utqd2mmvpqu9xvpcvdtudwa7cmppyw2ent6p9wgzpcayr6cgpqcqynzq op_cert: \x50476af66fb6faa4b0f1410801827721022eae1d68497fc14a9dbaffb54f04f9 op_cert_counter: 2